Fullilove v. Klutznick

US Supreme Court decision of 1980 dealing with the constitutionality of Congressional legislation allocating a certain percentage of public works contracts to minority-owned businesses. Fullilove, a white business owner, filed suit against the government, arguing that the Public Works Employment Act, a bill that required states to use at least 10% of federal public works funds to hire minority businesses, was racially discriminatory. The Court found that the act was not a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment but a remedial measure intended to enforce the equal protection clause. Congress, according to a 6–3 decision, was within its rights to use control over federal funds for the legitimate goal of reversing racial discrimination.